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José Carioca (known in Brazil as Zé Carioca) is a Brazilian parrot from Rio de Janeiro who is a friend of Donald Duck. He first appeared alongside Donald in Disney's 1943 animated feature film Saludos Amigos.
Background
Development
José is based on a parrot spotted by Walt Disney during his Brazilian trip. He was created during World War II events via the "Good Neighbor Policy" to enforce Brazil's cooperation. He represents every aspect of the typical Brazilian. He is smart, friendly and always in a good mood. His clothes represent the Brazilian "Malandros" ("Ladies Men" in Portuguese) and his happiness resembles that of Rio de Janeiro.
From the end of the Second World War until 1949, American films were not allowed to be exported to Occupied Europe, which included Disney cartoons. To find a new market to make up for this, Walt Disney focused on the South American market and used José Carioca to help promote this.
Personality
José is practically Donald's opposite, in that he is suave, cool and good under pressure. He is portrayed as a ladies' man, enjoys parties, and carries around an umbrella wherever he goes, using it like a cane; he can also use it as a musical instrument, such as a flute, guitar or trombone. He is extremely benevolent and debonair, tends to make friends fairly easily, and rarely suffers the same comical misfortunes as his classic Disney co-stars (at least in animation).
José is unique in that he is one of the few Disney characters to actually admire Donald Duck and his work, as José himself revealed in Saludos Amigos. Being a fan, he was more than happy to introduce Donald to Rio, and a friendly bond grew rather quickly afterward. Since, both José and Donald express great joy whenever they have the chance to reunite. José is also the best friend of Panchito Pistoles who, despite being the most rambunctious and unpredictable of the three, shares José's charisma and prosperity.
For all his elegance, José is rather naive when it comes to America and its customs. In "Two Happy Amigos", he toured some American states and mistook wild animals (mostly predators looking to eat him) as friendly natives. He also has some trouble with the English language despite being bilingual. When told he'll see a moose during his tour, José assumed he was prepping to see his friend Mickey Mouse. Nevertheless, José is jovial and always excited to learn new things, having had an enjoyable trip despite the misunderstandings.
Appearances
Saludos Amigos
In the film Saludos Amigos, José appears in the final segment, Aquarela do Brasil (translated as Watercolors of Brazil). José is created by a living paint brush. Donald Duck sees the painting and meets José. José introduces himself and seems to be a big fan of Donald Duck and his cartoons. José gives Donald a tour of Brazil and offers cachaça at a restaurant. He also teaches Donald how to dance the Samba, a dance native to Brazil. Later, Donald hiccups and gives a great beat for José to start a song. José and Donald party at the club as the segment ends.
The Three Caballeros
José with Panchito and Donald in The Three Caballeros.
José reappears in this sequel film to Saludos Amigos. In the second segment of the film, José presents Donald with a book about Bahia, one of Brazil's states, as a birthday present. José shrinks Donald and himself and the two enter the book. Jose and Donald met up with locals and dance the samba with them. After leaving the book, Donald realizes that he is too small to open his third present. Jose uses "black magic" to transform them both to normal size.
Donald opens his third present, and he and José met Panchito Pistoles, a rooster from Mexico. The three take the name of The Three Caballeros. Panchito takes both José and Donald on a tour of Mexico, telling them the tradition regarding the piñata. José then watches as Donald attempts to break open the piñata. At the end, José lights up some fireworks with his cigar.
Walt Disney anthology series
José appears in the episodes "Two Happy Amigos" and "Carnival Time". In the former episode (which acts as a spiritual sequel to both Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros), José travels to the United States to both visit Donald, and tour through a few American states. He teaches Donald the latest dance craze in Brazil called the "Cha-Cha", then, by using Donald's postcards, magically warps to various states to take in the western culture. In during which, he nearly meets a gruesome demise at the jaws of the local wild animals he encounters, but a jovial José fails to comprehend the danger, simply taking in the exotic wonder. Though he enjoys his trip, José becomes homesick by the end, and happily returns home on Burrito. In "Carnival Time", José is stationed as a correspondent at the annual festival celebration of Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro, for The Von Drake report, hosted by Prof. Ludwig Von Drake.
Melody Time
In Melody Time, José appears in the sixth segment, Blame it on the Samba. José is seen with Donald, as the two are moping in a cafe. The Aracuan Bird sees them both and introduces them to the Samba, which manages to cheer up both José and Donald.
Mickey Mouse Works
José makes a notable appearance in the animated series Mickey Mouse Works in the short "Mickey Tries to Cook". Minnie tires of the mundane ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches that Mickey continuously makes on their dates. Later, Mickey mistakenly believes that José and Minnie have begun dating after seeing the two together in a super market. Mickey tries to become more sophisticated with his cooking, but his efforts backfire. Minnie then sets things straight; she had asked José to set up a dinner date for her and Mickey that featured Brazilian food. Ironically, the food turns out to be ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches, though José calls the food by its Brazilian translation.
House of Mouse
José in House of Mouse.
José made several appearances in House of Mouse, mostly in crowd scenes with Panchito.
In the episode "The Three Caballeros", he is asked to perform at the club as part of the Three Caballeros. However, problems arise when Donald realizes that no one remembers that he is part of the group. To this end, Donald takes various measures meant to ensure that he isn't forgotten. Finally, Mickey calls José and Panchito to solve the problem. The duo solves the problem by humiliating Donald and making him popular on stage.
He also has a large role in "Not So Goofy", where he is hired to teach Goofy to become "Un-Goofy" and later performs "My Name is Panchito" with Panchito and Donald.
Mickey Mouse
José in Mickey Mouse.
José first appeared in "O Futebol Clássico" as the commentator of the World Cup games.
He also appeared alongside Panchito Pistoles and Donald Duck in "¡Feliz Cumpleaños!".
In "Carnaval", José took part of the titular celebration in Rio de Janeiro, as a singer. Towards the end, he and other attendants assisted Mickey in saving Minnie.
Mickey and the Roadster Racers
José appeared in the episode "Mickey's Perfecto Day", where Donald and the others visited Madrid to watch the Three Caballeros perform. Both José and Panchito are formally introduced to Daisy and are excited to be reunited, but Donald takes a bite of spicy food and loses his voice. José and Panchito enlist Daisy as Donald's replacement, but the trio is reunited after Donald regains his voice from a temper tantrum. They sing at Goofy and El Horace's dance-off and are accompanied by Daisy nevertheless, creating a quartet.
Cameos
Two José look-alikes can be seen on the jury in Alice in Wonderland, but both seem older and dress differently than how José usually dresses as well as both of them missing José's bright red and blue tail feathers.
José appeared in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in a very brief cameo with all the Toons during the last scene of the movie, where the toons are confirming what Judge Doom wasn't.
José makes a brief, non-speaking cameo alongside Donald in the It's a Small World: The Animated Series episode "Up and Down".
Printed media
Comics
José Carioca wearing a T-shirt and baseball hat, the design introduced for him in the Brazilian comics in 1992. The comic book is called "Zé Carioca", the name by which José is known in Brazil.
José has his own comic book strips in Brazil and South America, similarly to how Panchito has his comic book stories in Mexico and Spanish countries. In some of the comics, he's also a hustler (confidence artist) and a poor parrot. Some of his morals seem to be questioned (gleefully ready to kill a pigeon, to cook and eat, without a second thought); however, he still seems to care about his friends.
In the oldest José Carioca comics, he appeared to live in Duckburg. He often met characters like Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Gladstone Gander, Gyro Gearloose, etc. Later, it was established that José Carioca lives in Xurupita Village, a simple neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. José Carioca's friends include Nestor, Pedrão and Afonsinho. Maria Vaz is his girlfriend. Zé Galo is José Carioca's rival for Maria Vaz's affections.
In the comics, José Carioca is a normal guy and does not have any of the minor magical powers he displays in the animated movies.
See Green Bat for José Carioca's superhero alter ego who appears in the comics. In some stories, José Carioca and Nestor also formed the Ease Detective Agency (in Portuguese: Agência de Detetives Moleza), where they work as detectives, wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora.
Design changes
- Initially, in the Brazilian comics, José Carioca had the same design as in the animated movies Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, including his jacket with bowtie, his flat hat, umbrella, and cigar.
- Starting in the 1960s, José's design changed: he started to wear only a T-shirt and pants, with bare feet. The T-shirt is consistent with the hot climate of Rio de Janeiro.
- In the 1983 story "A Requited Love" (Um Amor Correspondido), Zé Carioca started to appear in his old design again, only without the cigar.
- In 1992, José Carioca had his design changed once more: he started to wear a T-shirt again, with a baseball hat, jeans, and tennis shoes.
- In "The Three Caballeros Ride Again" (2000) and "The Magnificent Seven (Minus 4) Caballeros" (2005), two stories written by American author Don Rosa, José Carioca has his old design, minus his cigar.
Disney Parks
José participating in Mickey's Soundsational Parade.
José appears as an extremely rare meet-and-greet character in the United States, but appears regularly at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. He usually appears at Lost River Delta in Tokyo DisneySea.
Disneyland Resort
José appears in Mickey's Soundsational Parade at the Disneyland park. He and Panchito join Donald as they dance along the parade with female dancers. He carries a long stick for breaking pinatas.
José also appears alongside Panchito and Donald in World of Color: Season of Light, in which the trio perform "Feliz Navidad".
He also appears in the ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party, which occurs during the holiday season in Disney California Adventure.
Walt Disney World Resort
José appears in the Epcot boat ride, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, along with Donald and Panchito. In the ride, The Three Caballeros plan to perform a concert in Mexico City, but Donald goes missing, prompting José and Panchito to go on a search for their missing friend.
José's likeness is also featured at Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.
In 2016, José and Panchito played prominent roles as Donald's invited guests in the holiday castle show, Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration.
Disneyland Paris
In 2017, José appeared in the Disneyland park Halloween attraction Goofy's Skeletoons Street Party.
It's a Small World
José can be spotted in the Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland versions of the attraction, along with Donald and Panchito.
Trivia
- José's eyes are red, but the eye color varies in Disney franchise. In comics and occasionally merchandise, his eyes are brown/green. In other comics, his eyes are blue (especially in "Ze Carioca" comics) and even orange.
- José's signature cigar has not been featured in his later appearances.
Gallery
External links
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